Collide
by AB01
Summary: Beckett comes to a realization while investigating a murder without Castle.
1. The Dawn is Breaking

**A/N: So I haven't written anything a while- much too busy with work. After watching the last several episodes of Castle I was inspired to write something. It got my creative juices flowing again.**

**I don't have a beta, but if anyone is interested, please let me know!**

**My idea is to write a story that has everything, murder, mystery, a bit of romance, comedy and last but not least drama. Oh there's a bit of angst in there too.**

**I really hope you guys like it! Review please! Seriously it's an amazing motivator!**

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**_Disclaimer: Seriously? They don't belong to me, not in this life, maybe the next. You never know!_**

**__****The title of the story, plus the chapter headings all belong to Howie Day. (I love that man!)**

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It was another day- she noted in which the first thing she thought about was him and not the person lying next to her. She didn't have anything to complain about. The man next to her was a good man, a really good man. He was handsome, witty and most importantly, cared for her deeply, probably more than she had been aware of.

He had broke down and said _'I love you'_ first. She had yet to say it. He had said it that night. That's why she was awake. She hadn't slept the whole night.

She slipped out of his arms and quietly made her way to the bathroom. As the hot water cascaded down her body, she thought of what she would say to the handsome doctor. She had to say something. She hoped that she could just pretend that it didn't happen.

He was quietly snoring as she was getting ready for work. He didn't even stir when she left the apartment. She left him a note on the fridge, like always, that she would speak to him later. She need a distraction, she needed something that had nothing to do with Josh and that was murder, mystery and mayhem.

Like always, she had called Castle to the crime scene. This time though, he told her that he couldn't make it. That bothered her much more than she would ever admit. It was the first time in over a year he said that. She wanted to probe; she wanted to ask why. She didn't though. She thought that it had something to do with _Gina, _she thought with such spite.

It was then, as she was driving that it hit her. Josh was her rebound guy from Castle. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say- something- anything to rebut those thoughts, but she couldn't. She turned the steering wheel and pulled over to the curb. Her hands shaking as she ran her fingers through her hair. Her green eyes were glossed over.

She thought and argued with herself for a month that she had gotten over the writer. When he left the precinct, the ex sauntering with him- her was heart broken, shattered in to a million pieces. She didn't think that he knew of what happened that day, of what she was about tell him, what she wanted to say. She thought that she had pieced back her heart- slowly, but it was healing nicely with Josh. After all, he was cardiologist. She laughed to herself, who better to mend a broken heart other than a cardiologist?

She glanced at the clock on her dashboard and realized that she was late. She hadn't even heard the phone ring until someone behind her started honking. She quickly put her car in gear and headed to Ashbourne Bar and Grill- one of her favorite places and the crime scene.


	2. The Light Shining Through

**A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews! For that, I've made this chapter a little longer. All the mistakes are mine.

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**Disclaimer: Really? Not mine.**

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Ashbourne Bar and Grill was a small joint off Broadway and 19th near Union Station. It was actually one of her favorite places to unwind when she was a beat cop. It had been around for almost a 100 years and during prohibition it became a place where people could find other types of entertainment- something other than alcohol. As she approached the street she could see the yellow tape around the main entrance.

She quickly exited the car and showed her badge to the officer at the door. A small circle of people crowed the door, trying to get a peek inside. She called for another cop to handle the small crowd. As she made her way inside, she spotted Ryan and Esposito hunched over the body with Lanie in the center.

"So, what do we have here?" Beckett questioned.

Esposito looked up at her. "No Castle today?"

"Um.." She cleared her throat- the mere mention of his name sent her in a tissy. "He said he couldn't make it."

Lanie cocked a brow at her. "Really now. Did you even tell him?" She questioned.

Beckett furrowed her brow. "What's that supposed to mean? Of course I did."

"Relax girl, I was just asking. You haven't been so friendly with him since Natalie Rhodes." Lanie defended.

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Anyway, back to the body."

Lanie and the guys got up. "Vic's a 32 year old male by the name of Drew Harrison."

"What?" Beckett questioned.

"You know him?" Ryan asked.

"Um…yeah. We went to NYU together. His dad owned the bar." Beckett said softly.

"Well, it looks like Drew here took over the bar when his father passed away two years ago. I asked one of the barmaids and she told me that Drew here was arguing with a customer last night. Some woman. She had never seen her before." Esposito stated.

"He was shot with what could be a .22, but I'm not too sure. We didn't find the casing. There are also several lacerations on this chest and abdomen. I won't know any more until I get him to the lab." Lanie paused to check her notes. "Based on lividity, I'm estimating that the vic died at around 4-6am and I found this in his pocket." She handed Beckett and folded paper.

Beckett motioned for the CSU's to hand her a evidence bag. They unfolded the note. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Hangman?" She asked. She turned the bag over to see of any residual markings, but found none. The puzzle was partially filled out. _O_'RE _EA_ She handed the bag over to the CSU in charge for fingerprinting.

"Thanks Lanie." The ME nodded and left to go back to the morgue to autopsy the body. She turned to her team. "Who found the body?"

"Janice Haskill, 23. She came in at 6:30." Ryan said as he flipped through his notebook.

"What was she doing here so early?" Beckett asked.

"She said our vic called her at 3am, right as she was leaving and asked her come in." Esposito said.

Beckett surveyed the room, it was just as she remembered-there were some changes, like the registered was moved from one of the bar to the other- new glasses and definitely new range of liquor. She spotted the young woman, sitting in the far booth, alone. Beckett walked up to slowly as to not startle her.

"Hi Miss. Haskill. I'm Detective Kate Beckett. Do you mind if I join you?" She asked her young woman. She didn't even look up. She just nodded. "I'm really sorry for your loss. You know, I used to come here when I was in NYU and when I first joined the force." The woman smiled sadly. "I have a couple questions to ask you. Is that ok?"

The woman nodded. "Call me Janice please."

"Ok Janice." Beckett started. "You told Detective Ryan that Drew asked you to come in early? Did Drew say why?"

Janice blushed. "Actually, we were seeing each other." She could barely finish the sentence before she started to sob. "I'm sorry. I know I have to hold it together, but I don't know. I can't seem…with Drew gone…"

Beckett moved to sit next to the woman and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry Janice for your loss. Drew was a good guy."

She looked up at her. "You knew Drew?" She asked softly.

Beckett sighed. "Yes. I knew Drew in college. We went to NYU together." She said simply. "He was a good man."

Janice simply nodded. "He would always ask me to come in early, you know cause that was the only time we had to ourselves. After his divorce, he was utterly miserable and I guess, well I hope that I helped him though that."

"So tell me what happened last night."

The argument?" Beckett nodded. "A woman came by at around midnight, just as we were closing- blonde hair, young. She couldn't have been more than my age. I thought well…nevermind. Anyway, she started to say all these vile things about him. I went to his side and was ready to throw down, you know. Drew stopped me. He said that I shouldn't get involved and that he would handle it. I backed away and went back to the bar. I asked him while closing who she was and what she wanted. All he said to me was that she was someone from his old life." She paused. "You know he was an investment banker- well until two years ago. He gave that up when Duke, his dad, passed away. He had this cushy life with a trophy wife, but everything changed when he took over this joint. His wife left him and well the good thing is she didn't get anything. She cheated on him, more times that I could care to count and well- prenup and all." She buried her face in her hands. "I miss him. I thought after grad school we could you know settle down. I have only four months left til and school's over!" She started to sob again.

Beckett nodded and smiled at the girl, she looked so young. Her brown hair was tussled and her green eyes reflected such sadness. She reminded Kate of herself at that age. "Janice, one of the officers will take you home, ok?" Beckett said softly.

"Thanks Detective."

Beckett got up and handed the fragile girl over to a uniformed officer standing near by. She walked over the crime scene as the CSU's bagged and tagged evidence. There was nothing more that they could do. They had yet to find the bullet casing and the place being a bar, there were hundreds of fingerprints. She knew it would be a long and arduous process. It was barely the start of the day and she was already tired.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, lost in her thoughts, formulating a theory. Her phone vibrated in her jacket pocket. She unlocked her phone- it was from _him_. She sighed loudly. Her team noticed. They also noticed that it was not a time to piss her off because whatever happened in the morning with _him_ would spill over to the rest of them.

She looked at her phone, contemplating whether or not to read the message- she finally decided to. _Sorry couldn't make it. I had to help Alexis with her college essay._ It was as if he had to make sure that she knew that it wasn't because of _Gina_. She smiled, slightly. The corners of her lips were turned upward and she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't reply back.

She quickly put her phone away and walked over to her guys who were helping the CSU's. "Ryan, find out everything you can on our vic and Esposito, track down his ex-wife." She paused. "Janice said that woman came in around midnight. Pull the tape from that traffic cam. It has a clear view to the front of the bar."

With that she left the bar and headed back to the 12th. She had an unsettling feeling about the note left in his pocket. Hangman- there was something strange about. Maybe that's why she was handling the case, even though it wasn't in her jurisdiction. She always did like the weird ones.

First thing she noticed when she stepped off the elevator at the precinct was the steaming cup of coffee. She smiled and knew that _he_ had to be around somewhere. She hadn't had her morning cup yet and she had been running on fumes in the morning.

Her caffeine deprivation started to kick in and she quickly made a grab for the coffee, her three inch heels resounding with every step. She took a sip. Her eyes widened. This was NOT her usual.

Then she spotted him, in the Captain's office laughing and her stomach churned. She had no idea how she would face him.


	3. You're Barely Waking

**A/N: I can't begin to thank you guys enough for the major ego boost you guys provide. The alerts, the reviews, man! I'm feeling pretty happy! **

**Disclaimer: The title of the story and the titles of the chapters belong to Howie Day. Also, if you didn't know this already, I don't own Castle or any of the characters- ABC and Andrew Marlow do.**

The look on her face told him everything he needed to know. He thought he could coerce the Captain to let her have some time off. What surprised him was that Montgomery agreed. With everything that happened lately, he suggested that time off was a good thing. When he pressed the Captain as to what exactly he was talking about, he didn't say anything and that she should tell him herself.

This was the side that he knew nothing about. Actually now that he really dwells on it, he doesn't know her at all. Their eyes met and for a brief second, he thought he saw sadness. He brushed it off as just jitters. He had never really invaded her space like this before. The captain made a joke about doctors and cops and though it pained him, he laughed anyway.

He took a moment to compose himself before facing her. The Captain opened the door and the first thing he asked about was the writer. Yeah, he was jealous. Of course he was. He would NEVER in a million years admit to anyone let alone her, but he was jealous with everything he had in him.

He plastered on a smile and walked out just in time to hear her reply. _'At home with Alexis.'_ It was then he realized that she knew his family. Well, even.

He walked up to her sheepishly and before he opened up his mouth she pulled him into the conference room, closing the door and the blinds behind her.

"What are you doing here Josh?" she inquired. He couldn't quite tell the tone of her voice- upset. That's what it sounded like.

"I wanted to surprise you." He dug into this the inside pocket of his bomber jacket and pulled out two airline tickets. "I know you're always talking about taking a vacation and I figured, why not? Atlantis Kate. You've been talking about since you saw that bad promo for Holiday in the Sun." He looked down into her green eyes and saw something that he hoped to never see. He had crossed a line- that invisible line that she drew in between sex and a relationship. He had fully dived into the relationship side while she, he realized had yet to cross.

"I can't believe you made plans without asking me." She said sadly. There was no anger, just sadness. "I just got a case this morning."

"You can pass the case off to your team right? Kate I'm sure they can hold down the fort without you." Josh tried to convince her. She had wanted to go for months now and he made it happen for her. He had never taken any previous girlfriend on vacation before, because he knew that eventually things wouldn't work out, but Kate was different. She was a woman of substance, of character. She was the kind of woman that he could take home to his parents and they would fall in love with her. He knew she was it for him.

But that look in her eyes told him that he wasn't it for her. He closed his eyes, hoping that he was just imagining things. He asked her that dreaded question, the one that he knew he shouldn't, but he HAD to know. "Kate," he started softly. "Do you love me?"

He looked at her intently, just waiting for an answer. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, just a squeak. He found that to be so endearing.

It looked to him as she was trying to figure what to say. He knew then that she didn't love him, not like he loved her. He knew then, that their pseudo relationship was over. He tried to look away from her mesmerizing green eyes, but he felt more drawn to them. He knew then that he would never wake up next to her again, that green would always remind him of her, that cherries would always be her smell. He was torn between carrying on the façade of the strong man or just break down and let it all out.

The silence was deafening and it seemed like a million years passed before she responded. "I care for you Josh." She said not really looking at him, but looking through him.

He sighed and he knew what he had to do. He clenched his jaw. "I know you _care_ for me Kate. There isn't a day that goes by where I'm not grateful for you. I thank God everyday that you walked into my life, but I want more. I know you're not ready for it. I can see it in your eyes. I don't think you'll ever be ready for it with me. That's why I know that I am NOT the one for you. You deserve to be happy Kate, really truly happy. You're just content at the moment. I love you, but love…love is a two way street."

He smiled at her sadly. He didn't want to hurt her, even though he was in blinding pain. He didn't even know if she knew how she really felt for him. All he knew was that if he didn't make the first move, then they would be stuck- content with life and not really wanting more and maybe it could grow to love someday, but someday looked bleak.

"Josh…I'm sorry." She moved to kiss him on the lips, but he backed away. He let her kiss his cheek instead. Her eyes were watery and he just wanted to kiss her face, show her love. "I don't deserve you."

He swallowed all this frustration, his sadness down to the pit of his stomach and walked out of the conference room, out of the precinct and out of her life. He knew that he would NEVER forget her because she was extraordinary.


	4. And I'm Tangled Up In You

**A/N: Thank you guys again for all the reviews. I know that the last chapter lagged a bit, but I really don't think that Beckett would get all emotional like people expect her to. Anyways, that's just my opinion. **

**All grammatical mistakes are mine….**

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. **

Beckett took a minute, more like ten minutes to absorb all that happened with Josh and how it ended. She didn't lie when she said she cared for him. She did, deeply in fact, but he was right, she was not in love with him. She knew that she would never be as long as a certain writer was ever present in her life.

She didn't want to distract herself from her own issues. She had a murder to solve and that took precedence over everything in her life.

She walked out of the room, the calm, cool and collected Beckett that she was. "Ryan, what do you have for me?" He handed her a file.

"Drew Harrison, 32. Father James 'Duke' Harrison passed away two years ago. Mother Jeanne Francis Harrison passed away last year. No siblings or any other family to speak of. Former Assistant Vice- President of Wealth Management at Denko Financial. Divorced two years ago from a Fiona Wilkins, daughter of the President of Denko Financial David Denko-Wilkins. No children. The divorce did not end well. Oh and I pulled his financials; the vic was loaded. He had five mil in savings and another two in a revolving account the bar was worth another mil."

Beckett thought for a minute. "OK. What about the traffic cam?"

"I'm working on it, but OEMC is backed up because they're doing their monthly maintenance today." Esposito piped in.

"Did they say _when_ they could have that ready for us?" Beckett inquired as she approached the murder board.

"Friday…at the earliest." Esposito responded. "But, I know someone at OEMC that might be able to get it to us earlier."

Beckett nodded. She decided to make herself some coffee and went to the break room.

The Captain entered. "Beckett, I thought you'd be taking some time off."

She stood over the espresso machine waiting for her little cup to be filled. She didn't face him. "Things fell through Sir."

He just nodded. "I really do think you need some time off Kate. You're working yourself ragged. Maybe it's time you started looking after yourself." With that he left her alone with her thoughts.

She headed to the murder board and started writing all the necessary information, starting with the time line. She hated cases like this, Drew was a nice guy. He never really crossed anyone, other than that incident in the bar with the unknown woman, things were well for him. She needed someone to build theory with. That's when she realized that she really did like to have him around. Castle that is. She liked to have Castle around- to pull her pigtails. She rolled her eyes at that thought, that conversation. She didn't know what compelled her to say that and she knew that that was a turning point of their relationship.

She put all the information she had on the board and waited to Ryan and Esposito to come back to her.

She was lost in thought, until several boxes of Chinese food were place in front of her. She looked up to see _him_ beaming at her. She smiled back as he took his usual seat. "I thought you'd be at home today, Castle." She said opening one of the containers of food, tearing off the chopsticks and diving in.

He smiled. "Alexis said she wanted my help, considering I make a living off of writing. But…she didn't really need it. I think it was just her way of making me feel needed."

"She's a smart girl that one." She smiled and paused. "You're a good father Castle. You raised her well."

His blue eyes pierced into her green ones. There was no joke questioning Alexis' paternity, Beckett was serious. It was a look that he rarely saw. She raised her brow. "What?"

He cleared his throat. "Nothing. Thanks Beckett. It means a lot coming from you." He turned to the murder board. "So what happened this morning?"

She smiled at him. "The vic was a Drew Harrison, owner of…"

"Ashbourne?" Castle inquired.

"Yeah. Do you know him?" Beckett knitted her brows.

He shook his head. "Know him? You can say that. His wife organized a charity fundraiser a couple years ago for the Leukemia Foundation. We knew each other and I knew _of_ him well. It was a typical American Dream story." Castle stated.

"Yeah I knew him in college." Beckett added. "He was a good guy. It's just sad, you know."

He nodded. "And what's so weird about this case?"

"Nothing really," she said going through the file. "They found a note though, Hangman. I'm having forensics sweep for prints or DNA."

She handed the picture of the note to him. "It's really funny, but you know what it spells like? YOU'RE DEAD." He wrote on the photo with a pencil.

Beckett raised her brow. "Huh. Odd. If we look at it like that, it could be a perceived as a threat." She turned to Ryan. "Ryan, where's the ex? And call the barmaid in for questioning." She smiled at Castle. "You know Castle, you might have just blown this case wide open." She patted his knee as she continued eating.


	5. I'm Open, You're Closed

**A/N: Thanks guys for the reviews and constructive critisim. This is a really short chapter, but I'll be away starting tonight….:) All mistakes are mine.**

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**Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish though!**

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Later that day, Janice, the victim's girlfriend, barmaid and the person who found the body was brought in for questioning. Ryan had brought her into the break room and waited fro Beckett and Castle to join.

As they all took their seats Janice asked, "Detective, what's wrong? Why am I here?"

Beckett smiled at woman. "Janice, this is Richard Castle. He's helping with investigation."

"Oh. Ok." She commented not recognizing who he was.

Castle narrowed his eyes and smirk played on Beckett's lips. "We just had a couple questions. First," she said as she pulled out the photo of the note. "Do you recognize this?"

The woman studied it. "Hangman? I haven't seen this…" her voice trailed off. "Wait, Drew was handed something by a regular. It was a note, I think. I don't know really- I wasn't paying much attention to him. We were flooded last night. Some guy decided to hold his bachelor party at the bar and it was only me, Sammie- another waitress, Ken and Noel who were tending bar. Drew was talking to a guy for a long time last night. Marty, I think. He's come in a couple times before. But Marty left at around 11. You should as Ken. He's the one who friends with all the patrons."

Beckett made a note in her notepad. "Did any of other staffers have a problem with Drew? Any arguments?"

Janice thought for a minute. "I don't think so. We're like family you know. I've been working there for three years now and Ken and Sammie started before I did. We had our share of issues. Like yesterday- we closed early, but Sammie didn't want to. She was milking it in tips and a pretty girl and a bunch of drunk guys….she made some serious cash yesterday. Drew wouldn't have it. He got annoyed at the bachelor party group and told them to leave cause he was closing up."

"Detective Beckett said that a woman came by yesterday and Drew had an altercation with her?" Castle asked her.

"Yeah. She came in at around mid-night." She responded.

"Did you see her car?" Beckett asked.

"Oh yeah. Noel let out a whistle so you know it had to be expensive. He can probably tell you the make and model. I'm not really good with stuff like that. You know, boys and their toys." For the first time in the interview, Janice smiled.

"So you overheard the conversation?" Castle inquired.

"I didn't have to overhear. She was so loud the whole bar heard! All she kept saying was 'I'm gonna take everything from you- like you took it from me' and she cussed like a sailor. I thought Drew was seeing her and well I got a bit jealous. She was pretty. Blonde, blue eyed, tall. She was everything that I'm not. I didn't like the way she spoke to him so I came to Drew's side. He shooed me away. He told me that it wasn't anything. He grabbed the woman's arm and took her out back. A couple minutes later her car was gone and Drew came back in as if nothing happened. I asked him about it, but he didn't say anything other than she was someone he knew in his old life. I don't know what that means. Do you think she killed him, Detective?" Janice asked, tears in her eyes.

"It's too soon to tell Janice, but we will investigate every possible avenue." She assured the woman.

"Who was the last person to see him?" Castle asked.

"I think Sammie was. Drew wanted to speak to her about her shift tomorrow. She wanted to work a double. Ken, Noel and I left together. We cleaned up, settled the till and left. Sammie always stays behind to help with the books. She's doing some courses on business or something- Drew always looked out for her like a little sister." Janice said.

Another theory was formulating in Beckett's and Castle's collective minds and it did not bode well for Janice.


	6. You Make A First Impression

**A/N: Thanks guys for the reviews and constructive criticism. This is a really short chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish though!**

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It didn't take them long to come up with a plausible theory. The fact that Drew had asked Sammie to stay late and do the books was, according to their theory staying late was euphuism for something else-something sexual. They knew they couldn't come out and say it or even discuss it with bar staff without speaking to Sammie first.

It didn't take long for Ryan and as Esposito to find her. She was staying with a roommate- a roommate who happened to be another person of interest in the case-Noel.

"Hi Sammie, I'm Detective Beckett and this is Richard Castle. He's assisting in this investigation." She opened up her portfolio to the crime scene photos and the interview with Janice.

"What am I doing here Detective? Am I under arrest or something?" The blonde hair, blue eyed young woman answered.

"We just have a couple questions. What time did you leave the bar last night?" Beckett questioned.

"Around two." She tugged a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Kennedy Wellington came in last night and created a scene and after she left we closed the bar."

"Wait- _THE_ Kennedy Wellington? Senator Wellington's wife?" Castle interrupted.

Beckett turned to look at him and cocked a brow. "How did you know it was her?"

Sammie scoffed. "Detective- I have a degree in political science from Columbia and I'm pretty good with keeping up with the news. I would definitely know Kennedy Wellington when I saw her."

Beckett noted it down. "What was your relationship with Mr. Harrison?"

Sammie smiled sadly. "Drew was my boss Detective."

"Someone told us that you used to say late and help him with the books?" Castle asked.

Sammie nodded. "I didn't need to. I did it because he would pay me off the books. I am working on my MBA at Columbia and I wanted the hands on experience. So we would talk- I would pick his brain about the investment sector and he helped me a great deal with his advice."

"So there was nothing sexual going on between the two of you?" Castle asked.

"No!" Sammie almost screamed. "I'm in a relationship."

Beckett nodded. "And what were you doing that last night until two am?"

Sammie shook her head in the negative. "No. We were fighting."

"Why?" Castle asked, interested.

"Noel. It was about Noel. Drew said he caught Noel dipping into the till and that he was going to fire him. I didn't believe Drew. Last night got crazy because of the Bachelor party- which is exactly what Drew said. I think it was the most money we made in a single day. Around seventy-five thousand."

Beckett and Castle raised their brows. Beckett was the first to speak. "There was altercation between you and Mr. Harrison the other day?"

Sammie nodded. "Yeah. I wanted the night off, but he wouldn't give it to me. I just wanted a break, you know. I hadn't hung out with any of my girlfriends in a long time. Yesterday was the only day the other girls were free. I guess everything worked out. I made a killing in tips." She smiled.

"I bet you did!" Castle muttered under his breath-captivated by the beauty in front of him.

Beckett took out the photo of the note. "Do you recognize this?"

She nodded. "Oh yeah. Marty, he's a regular handed that to Drew- wait…" she picked up the photograph. "The drawing wasn't complete and this is not what it said."

Beckett and Castle looked at each other, trying to figure out what other twist this case would present. "Drew figured it out by the time Marty left. It said, Doctor Watson. Drew and Marty played these silly games. Every time that Marty would come in, he would give Drew a letter to hangman. Marty said they used to play this when they were kids. Ken would know. He's Drew's cousin."

"Let's go back to with Kennedy Wellington showed up. Do you know what they were arguing about?" Beckett questioned.

"I think the whole bar heard them Detective. She told him that she would 'take everything from him like he did from her'. I thought it was a little weird, but Drew had some really powerful, rich friends. You know that Janice was sleeping with him? I mean, Janice! We didn't say anything to Drew about Kennedy and he didn't mention it when I left. He was going on about Noel."

Castle and Beckett concluded the interview with Sammie and turned to each other. "I think it's a red herring." They said in unison.

Castle smirked. "Great minds think alike…."

Beckett swatted his arm and walked out the interrogation room.


	7. Where I Follow, You'll Go

**A/N: Thanks guys for the reviews and alerts. It means so much to me! So as a thank you, I updated.  
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**Disclaimer: Not mine. I wish though!**

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"Ryan, get on the phone with Senator Wellington's people. I'd like to speak with his wife." Beckett ordered as she did some paperwork.

Castle was sitting in 'his' chair flipping through the New York Post. "Um Beckett, you might want to see this." He called out to her.

She peered over his shoulder. There it was, on Page 6 of the New York Post, "Senator William Wellington the Fouth, filed for divorce from his wife of three years, socialite Kennedy Wellington, née Barons, daughter of the president and CEO of the well known Barron's Group, on Monday, sources say. No words as to the reasons." Beckett read.

Castle looked up at her, "I have a gut feeling that…."

Beckett nodded, "Yeah. More of a reason to speak to Mrs. Wellington." She walked over to the murder board; Castle had cut out the article for her to put up on the murder board.

The day had worn on without any new leads, that was until Medical Examiner Dr. Lanie Parish called. Beckett and her shadow rushed down to see her.

"So, what's the emergency?" Beckett asked her friend.

Lanie raised a brow and unfurled the sheet under which the victim was in. She pointed out some pale bruising around the neck and chest and a significant indentation on his stomach. "Based on liver temp, my earlier estimations regarding the timeline were accurate."

Beckett spoke up, "Never doubted you for a second Lanie."

Lanie smirked. "I know." She used her gloved hands to point out the bruising. "Looks like whoever attacked him, choked him hard enough to crush his wind pipe." She said as she pointed out the bulge that was beginning to form around the victim's neck. Somebody cleaned him up really well too. He would have suffocated by the lack of air, plus I found traces of blood in his mouth." She turned to the table behind her. "And this, the .22, you see these striations here?" She asked showing them the sides of the bullet, "that means that the…."

"The barrel was filed down." Castle and Beckett said in unison. They just looked at each other and smiled.

Beckett cleared her throat. "Ok. So he was choked to death and then shot for good measure?"

Lanie nodded. "Looks that way. Whoever shot him missed his heart by two inches. I also found these fibers inside his mouth," she said as she held up two small Ziploc bags.

Beckett took it. "Ok, I'll have trace take a look at them and see what they come up with." She thanked her friend and as they proceeded to leave the morgue the Medical Examiner called out for them.

"I haven't told you the best part." Lanie said loudly causing both Castle and Beckett to turn to her.

"Which is?" Castle asked.

Lanie grinned. "Mister Harrison had sex a couple hours before he was murdered."

"Yeah, he was seeing one of the barmaids." Castle said.

"The victim had sex with a **man** a couple hours before he was murdered." Lanie stated.

"What?" They exclaimed in unison, again.

"Yep, I found semen on his person. I can estimate about one hour or so before his death." Lanie stated.

"Any more surprises?" Beckett asked eager to investigate the new lead, maybe a boyfriend.

Lanie nodded. "Nope. You can go now."

Beckett called Ryan as she was leaving the morgue. "So, looks like the vic was two timing Janice Davis. I'll fill you in on the details when I see you. See if you can find out if he was seeing anyone else, public or private and get a hold of the bar's cc cameras."

Castle and Beckett quietly discussed the implications of the new evidence, they had both wondered if the Senator was involved, maybe that's what the argument had been about, but neither spoke up about their thoughts. It wouldn't have surprised either of them if that had been the case.

Back on their floor it was mad frenzy. The Senator's now estranged wife had shown up with four of the BEST lawyers in the state to aid her. She sat in Interrogation Room 2 with her mink coat wrapped around her, her gloved hands were shaking. She took a sip of her designer coffee as she waited for the detective to arrive.

Beckett watched her from the observation room as she briefed her team about the new evidence and new developments. She rolled her eyes at the woman in front of her. She nodded to Esposito to lead the interrogation. Beckett wanted to know if the woman would play the damsel in distress or the agitator.

They watched as Esposito introduced himself and Ryan. They watched her reaction when she was asked about the argument in the bar. One of the attorney's, the young one, whispered in her ear cause the Senator's wife to throw her hand up to shut him.

"You're fired." She told the young man.

Visibly taken aback, the young attorney left the room. The other attorneys didn't say a word, just looked at the mirror across from them.

The suspect turned to Esposito, "I'm sure you fine detectives probably have a verbatim account about the argument I had with Drew. Well, I'm glad he's dead. That son of a bitch took everything from me. He took away my life. He deserved whatever he got. I think I just might send the person who killed him a thank you basket."

Esposito clenched his jaw, "Mrs. Harrington, why were you and Mister Harrison arguing?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Didn't I JUST tell you? Whatever the **reason** was, I'm not going to tell you. I can't anyway."

"Where were you from 4-6am?" Ryan asked.

The oldest of the lot of lawyers spoke up. "Mrs. Harrington will no longer answer your questions." They got up to leave as did she.

When she got the door, she turned to the detectives, "You know? You guys look would really enjoy the steak with truffles at Omina. You should check it out. Might be a bit out of your price range, but it's a great place to take your lovely ladies. Ask for Marci. She's the best concierge this side of the river."

They looked at each other. "Thanks for tip Mrs. Harrington. I'll be sure to drop by with my fiancée." Ryan said. She nodded curtly and walked out of the room.

"Have you ever heard of the Omina?" Beckett asked her shadow.

The writer on the other side of the mirror turned to his favorite detective. "Heard of it? Dear Beckett, you don't hear of the Omina, you experience it. Plus, that restaurant is part of the Woodsworth Club, which, yours truly, is a member of. Does this mean we get to go undercover?" He wigged his eye brows at her.

She rolled her eyes, noting to memory everything about the woman, her behavior, her attorney's and especially her carefully chosen words. The writer had been right, they had to go undercover and at that realization, the jitters started setting in.


End file.
